Remnant Hearts
by Kuroyami Fukaikuro
Summary: After finally defeating Xehanort, Sora and company are ready to go home. Only, Kingdom Hearts isn't finished with them. Meanwhile, powerful forces observe from out of sight...
1. Chapter 1

Remnant Hearts

By: Kuroyami Fukaikuro

**A/N: Hey! How you doing? I'm doing great! This story will update whenever it does, which won't be often due to my other fic, ****Meaning of Birth**** (shameless self-promotion *cough cough*), and my work on a completely original story, that I hope to publish one day! But enough of this, let's get started!**

Prologue: The Final Battle?

Sora and Xehanort glared at each other, Kingdom Hearts standing in between and behind them. Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Roxas, Lea, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, and many of the other friends Sora had made over the years watched in earnest from a platform below Sora and Xehanort's. The last of Xehanort's Thirteen Darkness' faded away in pain, defeated by the army of Sora's compatriots.

Xehanort brandished the X-Blade, pointing it at Sora. "You could have lived, boy! You could have joined me! But now there is no hope for you! The X-Blade is mine, and Kingdom Hearts is mine!"

Sora shook his head. "You're wrong, Xehanort. Yes, you may wield the X-Blade, but it, and Kingdom Hearts, will never be yours! The essence of the Heart cannot be controlled!"

Xehanort laughed. "'The essence of the Heart cannot be controlled'? Boy, have you forgotten about how Terra's Heart, Riku's Heart, even your own Heart succumbed to my will? After all these years, you come all this way and still you understand nothing!"

"Maybe we did succumb! But our hearts did not! Terra resisted! Riku resisted! And I resisted! In the end, the Heart is beyond anyone's understanding. Even yours."

Xehanort stopped smiling, and instead glared at Sora. "Foolish boy… Perhaps the entirety of the heart is beyond my understanding, but not for long. Once I am done with you, Kingdom Hearts will become one with me, and I will finally know all that there is to know!"

"Not likely!" Sora charged at Xehanort, raising the Kingdom Key above his head for a strike. Xehanort waited, and as Sora got close he acted. Xehanort teleported behind Sora, and swung the X-Blade, tearing through reality with the blades awesome power.

Sora dodge rolled forward, and as he came up he shouted, "Valor!" Instantly his clothes adopted a red color, and Star Seeker appeared in his left hand. He ran forward and struck, delivering a complex combination of attacks that drove Xehanort back. Sora swung both Keyblades down, and Xehanort blocked the attack.

Xehanort pushed both of Sora's blades and knocked him backwards. Sora tumbled before flipping backwards in the air, yelling "Wisdom!" as he landed. His clothes took on a blue tint, and he skated forward, shooting bursts of light at Xehanort.

Xehanort blocked Sora's shots and fired several casts of Dark Firaga in quick succession. Sora skated around the magic and rammed into Xehanort as flames enveloped his body, burning the old Master and knocking him back at the same time. Before Xehanort could touch down, Sora shouted "Thundaga!" The lightning blast tore through Xehanort and pulled him upwards so he could not hit the ground.

Sora grinned, thinking that he was winning. "I'm breaking my Limits!" he shouted, and his clothes took on a red coloration again, albeit with some white on his torso. He threw his Keyblade and it struck Xehanort. The process repeated until Sora stopped throwing it, jumped into the air and struck Xehanort a few times before firing several dozen bursts of light at him. Then he shouted, "Absolute Mastery-!" and his clothes adopted a yellow hue and Star Seeker floated by his left hand. He began to attack Xehanort in midair, delivering strike after strike to him. Finally Xehanort was knocked to the ground, and Sora followed, intending to finish what he had started.

Before he could, Xehanort said, "Not bad, boy. Now it's my turn!" The ground below Sora rose upward and slammed into him, knocking the wind out of him. As he fell, several hundred Keyblades rose from their resting places and struck him, keeping him in the air before finally slamming him into the ground.

Sora coughed as he turned to face Xehanort and rose, standing slowly. Both of their noses were bleeding and they were covered in cuts.

"So you still have the strength to stand?" Xehanort gloated as he healed himself. "Where do you get that power from, boy?"

Sora looked up at him. "Where?" he said as he cast Cure with the last of his energy. "Where does my strength come from? You mean you still haven't figured it out?"

"What?" Xehanort asked angrily.

"Over and over again, I've been asked that same question or others like it. And over and over again, I've given the same answer."

Down below, Riku threw Way to the Dawn up towards Sora. Following his lead, Kairi threw Brightcrest; Roxas threw Oathkeeper and Oblivion; Terra threw Ends of the Earth; Ventus threw Lost Memory; Aqua threw the Master Keeper; Lea threw the Dancing Flame; and Mickey threw Light Seeker. Together, they, Keyblade Warriors and all the rest, cheered Sora on.

"My friends give me the strength to stand! My friends are my power, and I'm theirs!" The Keyblades landed in a circle around Sora, and Xehanort took a step back in surprise. Sora took Way to the Dawn in his left hand, and all the other Keyblades floated around him, held aloft by an aura of light. "This is it, Xehanort! My – no, Our Final Form!" Sora's clothes became white with black trimmings, and he floated off the ground.

Xehanort swung angrily at Sora, and a wave of energy erupted from the tip of the X-Blade. Just before it hit him, Sora disappeared, and then reappeared behind Xehanort. All his Keyblades moved in perfect harmony, knocking the X-Blade out of Xehanort's hand and driving him into the air. Over and over again they struck him, cutting him again and again. Finally, Sora thrust the Kingdom Key in the air, and light burst forth from its tip, encompassing Xehanort's body and holding him in the air, immobilizing him.

Sora dropped Kingdom Key and Way to the Dawn, and pointed his fingers at Xehanort. All the Keyblades followed suit. Light collected at their tips before bursting forth and then collecting into one beam.

Xehanort summoned the X-Blade back into his hand and raised it to defend himself.

The beam of light struck the X-Blade. Xehanort glared in concentration as he tried to repel the light. Darkness flowed from his body and through the blade, and he managed to fire his own beam of darkness, contesting Sora's beam of light.

The struggle between their powers lasted for almost half a minute. However, suddenly the X-Blade fractured, and the beam of light eradicated Xehanort, reducing him to ashes.

Kingdom Hearts opened for a brief moment, and Xehanort's ashes swirled before entering the door's light.

Sora collapsed onto his knees, breathing heavily. After regaining his breath, he stood up and threw the Keyblades back down to their respective members, before simply standing at the edge of Kingdom Hearts and smiling.

_Finally, _Sora thought, _I can go home. _The platforms on which his friends stood rose up to join his, and they embraced in celebration.

Then a voice shattered the peace with its words.

_**Warriors of Light.**_

__Sora and company turned towards the voice, drawing their weapons. "Who's there?" Sora asked.

_**There is no cause for alarm. We have no intention of harming anyone.**_

__"'We'?" Riku asked.

_**Yes, we. Kingdom Hearts. You have fought over us for a long time.**_

__"You-you're sentient?" Kairi stammered.

_**Indeed we are. In fact, we have been aiding you throughout your journeys. When Radiant Garden was overrun with Heartless, we made sure that Kairi would be safe. When the Seeker of Darkness attempted to tap into our power, we made sure he saw only Light. When Xemnas merged with us… Well, admittedly, we failed to completely deny him. We assumed you would defeat him beforehand, and were ill-prepared to reject him.**_

__"Sorry," Sora said.

_**There is no need for apology. It was our fault for becoming lax. **_

__"Still, I'm sorry. By the way, what did you call us out for?"

_**We were simply going to inform you that your struggles are not over yet.**_

__"WHAT!?" Everyone shouted.

"But… We defeated Xehanort. Don't tell me there's someone even more powerful, who was controlling him or something?" Terra said.

_**Nothing of the sort. However, while the Worlds you have saved are now completely safe from danger, there are still worlds that lie in the Darkness. Worlds that shine brightly, like a Beacon, only to attract dark forces. We do not require all of you to act, of course. If you wish, you may return to your homes, to your worlds. However, we at least need one Keyblade Wielder to take up the mantle of this quest.**_

Kingdom Hearts had barely finished speaking when Sora responded, "I will."

_**Well, of course you will. Your outstanding empathy towards people you don't even know is one of your greatest strengths. Perhaps we should have worded ourselves better; we need at least one other Keyblade Wielder to accompany Sora on this journey.**_

__This time, Kairi responded. "I will." Meeting Sora's concerned eyes, she said "We are _not_ getting separated again."

Sora nodded and smiled, before turning to Kingdom Hearts. "Well, you have your two-"

Suddenly, Lea and Riku put their arms around Sora. "Whoa whoa whoa!" They said. You didn't think you'd be going on another adventure without your friends, did you?" Riku asked.

Nearby, Ventus spoke up. "Yeah! I'm itching to go on another adventure! One with a happier ending this time."

Terra and Aqua looked at him, concern in their eyes. "Ven," Aqua spoke up. "You just woke up after, what, sixteen years? Are you sure you want to-"

"You bet I do! We didn't even do much this time- Sora did practically everything."

"Yeah, that tends to happen," Riku said.

"So, we need to make up for it! On our first adventure, we were split up and it ended badly. This time, we'll all be together and it'll end well."

Terra thought to himself. "Well, it does sound like a good way to get back in shape…"  
"Terra!" Aqua said. "Are you really thinking about doing this?"

"Aqua. You don't have to be too concerned. You -and Riku- are officially Keyblade Masters, but practically everyone here has the skill needed to be one. We'll be fine. Besides, this can count as Ven and my Mark of Mastery Exam! You follow us, and decide if we've got what it takes."

"Well… Okay." Aqua nodded, and then looked at Sora. "You won't mind three extra people, will you?"

Sora laughed and shook his head. "Of course not! The more the merrier." Sora turned to look at Kingdom Hearts, then remembered one last person. He turned to Roxas, and addressed him. "Roxas."

Roxas sighed. "Well, everyone else is going so I might as well go too. Besides, without me around, who'd be there to save Lea?"

"Hey, that was one time!"

The group laughed mirthfully as two others stepped forward. "We're coming too!" Donald shouted as Goofy nodded.

"Well, of course!" Sora laughed. Turning towards King Mickey, he asked "Is the King coming too?"

Mickey shook his head. "I'll be busy helping rebuild all the worlds. Besides, someone has to tell your parents about what you're doing!"

"Well, tell them that we'll be fine." Sora turned back to Kingdom Hearts and said, "Well, here's our party."

_**Very well. However, a word of warning about including the Mage and Swordless Knight. Many of the worlds you will travel to have not seen beings such as them before. Many worlds would consider them monsters no better than the Heartless.**_

"WHAT!?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy shouted.

_**Do not worry. Simply have them wait in your Gummi Ship, providing aid from afar.**_

Sora turned to Donald and Goofy. "Are you two okay with that?"

Donald sighed. "Well, if we have to, we will."

"But don't forget to call us whenever you need help!" Goofy finished.

Sora nodded, and then realized something. "Wait, we're bringing the Gummi Ship?"

_**How else would you traverse the vastness that is Kingdom Hearts?**_

"How big are you?"

_**We are larger than the Realms of Light, Darkness, and the In-Between combined.**_

"That's pretty big."

_**Indeed. Are you all prepared?**_

Sora turned to his friends. "You all ready?" he asked.

They all smiled and nodded.

Kingdom Hearts caused the Highwind to appear in front of the group. They all got on board, and went through Kingdom Heart's doors to their next journey.

**Much Later**

Hours after Sora and company entered Kingdom Hearts and the last of Sora's friends left to return to their homes, the Doors remained.

Several figures stepped out in front of the Doors, seemingly from nowhere. Their leader pointed at the Doors and spoke, a harsh baritone voice emanating from his body.

"You. You know why we're here, and what we want."

_**Yes. You have questions. We have answers.**_

"Then give us the answer. How do-"

_**Such knowledge is not given freely, child. We have a request of you first.**_

"What?" One of the other figures stepped forward and a slightly high pitched mezzo-soprano voice came out of her mouth. "You want us to follow that boy and his friends? To babysit them for you?"

_**On their journey, they will face problems they have never faced before; problems of a more philosophical nature, problems that cannot be solved simply by hitting it with a weapon. If our knowledge about you is correct, you – specifically, your leader – is an expert at dealing with such problems.**_

"Well, they've got that right," another one spoke, a deep bass sound that reverberated with power. "So, what's your answer, boss?"

Their leader thought for a moment. "Are there strong people where that boy is going? It's been a long time since I've fought someone who is simultaneously someone I've never fought before as well as powerful."

_**We cannot guarantee that you will run into anyone as powerful as you. But we can guarantee that there are people and beings within that would indeed prove a challenging fight. The boy himself matches you in strength.**_

"Good enough for me. But you listen close, Kingdom Hearts," he said, his voice becoming even darker and harsher than before. "If that boy is any weaker than you make him out to be, we'll come back, and I'll kill you myself, answers or no answers."

Kingdom Hearts opened its doors without reply and the group entered.

End of Prologue.

**A/N: Whew! Several weeks of work, finally finished! Please comment. I don't care if there's negative criticism, as long as it's constructive as well.**


	2. Chapter 2

Remnant Hearts

By: Kuroyami Fukaikuro

**A/N: Finally got around to updating! Also, a message for all the anonymous commenters:**

**Get a fucking account. Like really, some of you comment expecting (or even requesting) a reply, but I can't reply without either taking up space in the chapters or PM'ing people. So get a fucking account. It's not that much of a commitment, and it makes following stories much easier. So get one. You assholes. (you're not really assholes I'm just mad that there are people who comment, expecting a reply, when they don't even offer some form of contact) Rant over let's do this.**

* * *

Chapter One: Arrival

"She's gonna fall," Blake said matter-of-factly.

"She'll be fine!" Ruby said.

"She's falling," Lie replied with a monotone voice.

Moments later, Weiss Schnee fell from the claw of a Nevermore. Jaune utilized some rather miraculous jumping strength and caught her, only to fall. They landed painfully, and Pyrrha landed in front of Ruby, Yang, Lie, Nora, and Blake moments later.

"Great!" Yang exclaimed. "The gang's all here! Now we can die together!"

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby shouted before turning to face the Grimm, ready to charge. However, before she even began to move, the sight before her made her freeze.

Dark creatures began to appear from the shadows of the forest, as well as what appeared to be pools of liquid darkness. Their numbers increased rapidly, until there were more of the creatures in sight than there was grass.

The dark creatures surrounded the Death Stalker and swarmed it, piling on top of it and fusing with it. Moments later the new being emerged, a god amongst Grimm and Heartless. It was much larger, standing taller than the trees of the Emerald Forest, with legs as thick as the tree trunks, claws bigger than an Ursa and a stinger twice as large as before.

Its coloration had changed as well: it was now completely black, save for a glowing red insignia on its exoskeleton.

"What- What the heck happened to it?" Yang stammered.

"I don't know," Blake responded evenly, "but we should try to stay calm-"

"Look out below!" A voice called out.

The people who would become Teams RWBY and JNPR all looked up to see a boy in black falling from the sky headfirst. A moment later he flipped in the air, righting himself before summoning a strange looking weapon.

"Wait," Yang muttered, "where'd he pull that from?"

After summoning his Keyblade, Sora began to spin in the air, turning over and over before finally slamming into the Death Stalker. The impact created a shockwave that knocked all the other Grimm and Heartless down.

"You guys should get to safety!" Sora yelled as he leaped off the Heartless Death Stalker and into battle, easily defeating Heartless and Grimm alike.

After several moments of shocked silence, Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose. "Whoever he is," she said, "he can't take on all of these monsters alone!" She then rushed into battle.

The group glanced at each other, then nodded. They then drew their weapons in unison and joined the fray, attacking with all their might.

However, they soon realized the true nature of their plight. While the Grimm among the monster's ranks were easily thinned out, the dark creatures, similar to those that fused with the Death Stalker, were seemingly endless in number. With every one slain by them, ten more seemed to take their place.

"There's too many!" Jaune shouted.

"Yeah!" Pyrrha responded. "We've got to get out of here!"

Together, Teams RWBY and JNPR began carving a path through the Heartless. However, Ruby turned back and called out to the boy who fell from the sky when she noticed that he was not following them.

"Hurry up! We're leaving!"

"Good! Get to safety! I'll handle things here!" he replied.

Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but recoiled in shock when she noticed that the Death Stalker was rising up behind Sora.

"Behind you!" She shouted desperately, in hope that the boy would understand and move.

Sora casually turned to the Death Stalker, which began to raise one of its claws in attack. Before it could strike, a group of people fell out of the sky and landed on the Death Stalker again, completely disintegrating it.

One of the people, a boy with silver hair, walked forward and fist-bumped Sora.

"What took you all so long?" Sora asked.

"Had to convince Donald and Goofy to not jump out after you. Then we had to convince them to find a place to land the ship and stay out of sight."

"It really took you three minutes to do all that?"

"Well, they also had to fly back to drop us off."

Sora raised an eyebrow in question. "How high were you flying? I didn't hear the ship."

"About as high as when you jumped out without explanation."

"I gave plenty of explanation!"

"No, you just said 'Land the ship guy's, I gotta get in there' and jumped out."

"None of you thought that the huge mass of Heartless was a sign of some-"

"Guys!" Lea yelled as he sliced through a Zip Slasher. "Would you shut up and help us out?"

Sora and Riku nodded to each other before resuming the fight against the Heartless, cutting them down left and right with ease.

* * *

The soon-to-be members of Teams RWBY and JNPR ran through the forest, escaping the battlefield. Ahead of them, the ruins of an ancient civilization rose from a seemingly bottomless mist, connecting the cliff to the forest.

"We're almost there!" Ruby shouted excitedly.

However, before they reached the bridge, a rustling sound came from the forest around them.

Weiss turned towards the sound, and saw nothing but darkness and two red dots. Her eyes widened in a primal fear, and she began to run faster, wordlessly urging the others to do the same.

"What is it, Weiss?" Jaune shouted as he ran.

"I don't know! Just keep run-"

A loud crashing and noise was heard from behind them, and they all turned in time to see a mass of shadows chasing them, with nothing but two red eyes to distinguish it.

"It's getting closer!" Lie shouted fearfully.

"In that case, let's just turn and fight!" Nora yelled exuberantly as she drew Magnhild and fired at the creature. Her shot exploded, but the shadow simply leaped over the shot as well as Team JNPR, separating them and RWBY.

Ruby turned back upon realizing what had happened. She began to run back towards them, only to be stopped by Jaune.

"We'll be fine, Ruby!" he shouted. "Just go get the professors!"

Ruby nodded, and then ran without giving a response.

"Are you sure we'll be fine?" Lie asked Jaune as he pulled out his Storm Flowers.

"No," Jaune replied, "but unless we get immediate help, Ruby coming back with a teacher is probably the best chance we've got at survival."

"Aw, come on Jaune!" Nora replied, a grin on her face. "We'll kill this thing before they even reach the professors!"

"I sure hope so," Jaune replied.

Together they readied themselves as the monster in front of them charged.

* * *

Sora and company tore through the Heartless and Grimm with ease, dispelling them one after another.

"Man, this is taking too long," Sora muttered as he cut through a Large Body. He turned to Kairi. "Kairi!" He called out.

She turned. "Yes?"

"Can you use Holy?"

"Is this really the best time to use that? I can only use it-"

"Once, then there's a thirty day waiting period, I know. But when are we ever going to fight another huge group of Heartless like this in the next thirty days?"

"Well, alright. Just cover for me while I prepare!"

"Got it!" Sora raced over to Kairi and defended her as she clasped her hands together and prepared the spell.

Across the field, Aqua and Terra fought side by side when Aqua noticed a familiar presence. Her eyes darted across the battlefield as she searched for the source, and they widened in shock when she recognized the form of the Hunter of the Dark crashing through the trees in the direction of the people who had fled. Immediately she began to chase after it, ignoring the Heartless around her and cartwheeling through any attacks sent her way.

Upon noticing her disappearance, Terra glanced around and called out, "Aqua?" before he saw her chasing after a fleeing darkness. Immediately he followed her, but unlike she did, he took the time to cut down any Heartless in his way.

"Terra!" Ventus called out as the man passed him. "Where are you going?"

"Aqua spotted something chasing after those kids! I'm gonna help her out!"

"Got it!"

"Aaaargh!" Roxas slammed into the ground next to Ventus, obliterating a couple of Crimson Jazz Heartless with the force of his impact. Along with him came a storm of black feathers the size of trees.

"Roxas?" Ventus asked. "What happened?"

"You see that bird thing up there?" Roxas said, pointing with Oblivion. "I jumped up to get it, and then it somehow shot its feathers at me. I got knocked down, and here we are."

"Cool. Need help with it?"

"No, I've got it-" No sooner were the words out of Roxas' mouth that the Nevermore flew away from the battlefield, apparently finding more appropriate targets.

Roxas jumped to his feet and gave chase, shouting "Oh no you don't!" as he ran.

Ventus thought to himself for a moment before reaching a decision and running after his double.

* * *

Team JNPR fought hard against the creature in front of them, delivering strike after strike and shot after shot. However, they seemed to have no effect, as though they could not penetrate the darkness that covered the creature.

"Crap," Jaune moaned as he was struck and fell back. "Why aren't they back yet? Is there something else over there?"

"I don't know," Pyrrha shouted as she moved in front of Jaune, firing her gun to keep the monster at bay, "but I hope they're doing better than we are!"

In front of them, the monster roared before charging at them at full speed, intent on finishing them. The group flinched, closing their eyes as they expected the end.

"Freeze!"

With that, ice burst from the ground directly under the monster, knocking it upwards with the force of their growth.

"Meteor Crash!"

Jaune looked up in time to see a man hit the creature with his weapon, an impact that was followed by a small group of boulders slamming into the creature and knocking it to the ground.

The man jumped back from the creature and landed in front of JNPR. A moment later a woman with blue hair joined him before she turned back towards the group. "Are you okay?" Aqua asked them.

"I think we'll be better now that you're here to help us," Jaune replied.

Aqua raised her Keyblade and a green light enveloped the group, closing their wounds and restoring their energy. They got to their feet, curious as to what the woman had done.

"What was that?" Nora asked. "Was it magic? I bet it was magic!"

"Nora, let's be rational here," Lie said. "It wasn't magic, magic doesn't exist. It was probably some form of Dust we don't know about."

"Actually, she's right, it was magic. But we don't have time to talk," Aqua said as she turned back towards the Heartless. "We have to finish this thing off right now-"

"Out of my way!"

The group turned to see a boy with blonde hair and a black cloak running at full speed towards them.

"Roxas?" Aqua said. "What are you-?"

He simply ignored her and jumped past, heading straight for the Heartless. It got up and noticed him, and attacked, swiping with its claws. Roxas jumped, dodging the attack. In the same moment, he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion and slammed them into the Heartless' head, knocking it down and using the momentum to flip over it before continuing his chase.

"What-?"

"Hey! Aqua! Terra!"

Both turned back to see Ventus running towards them.

As he approached, Ventus asked "Did Roxas run by here?"

"Yes," Aqua replied. "Ven, what's going on?"

"Roxas was fighting the big bird thing, he lost, and now he's chasing after it. And I figured he'd need my help."

"Well, alright, just be careful-"

"Aqua, I'm about 27 years old now. I can handle myself!" And with that, the boy continued the chase for his double, easily evading the Heartless' attack as he ran past it.

The group stared after his running form.

"He's 27?" Jaune asked tactlessly.

"There are some… Extenuating circumstances concerning our age. Terra and I are about 29."

"Oh. You both look young for your age."

"Thanks, kid," Terra replied, "but we should talk later. The Heartless is coming!"

The group assumed their stances as the Heartless readied itself. Aqua, however, could not help but interject a comment about Terra's choice of words.

"'Kid'?" she said, giggling slightly. "You're not _that_ old, you know."

Terra rolled his eyes and jumped before slamming his Keyblade into the ground, causing sharp rocks to jut out from the ground towards the Heartless. It sidestepped the rocks before lunging at its prey.

* * *

"…and that's why you have to help us!" Ruby said to Headmaster Ozpin.

Ozpin blinked casually at Ruby. "Miss Rose, please calm down. Being exasperated never helped anyone. First of all, if our help was absolutely needed, don't you think we would have acted by now?"

"What do you mean, if your help was needed?" Yang asked. "Jaune and the others got ambushed on our way here, and those other guys-"

"Are completely fine. Our cameras have shown us that Mister Arc and his allies were aided by two others, and that the boy and his friends in the clearing are fighting extremely well. In fact, based on our last viewing of their activity, it seems that they decided to finish the fight with a single blow, but I don't know how they intend to-"

"Hmp," Roxas said as he appeared over the edge of the cliff. He glanced at the group in front of him for a moment, and then turned his attention to the approaching Nevermore. "Now, how am I gonna deal with you?" he muttered to himself.

"Who are you?" Weiss asked.

"I'm the guy who's gonna solve your bird problem," he replied.

"What-?" she began, but before she could finish she was interrupted by the boy's double appearing over the cliff.

"Jeez, Roxas," Ventus said, panting for breath, "since when could you run up vertical surfaces?"

"Since I was a one year old."

The group was stunned into silence for several moments before Blake finally spoke up.

"But… That's impossible."

Roxas merely shrugged, ignoring her comment as he thought of how to kill the creature circling in front of him. His face brightened as he came up with a plan that would work. Turning to his double, he said "Ven. I need you to hit me as hard as you can."

"What?"

"I've got an idea that will probably work against the bird thing-"

"You mean the Nevermore?" Professor Goodwitch interjected.

"That's what you call it? Well, okay then, against the Nevermore."

Ventus paused for a moment as he tried to reach the same conclusion that Roxas had. Upon achieving his realization, he smiled. Then, in one swift movement, he summoned his Keyblade and smacked Roxas with such force that Roxas was knocked into the air.

Roxas landed gracefully, and then said "Thanks," before summoning his dual Keyblades.

"Wait-wait-wait," Yang said, "where are you guys getting your weapons from? That first guy also drew his weapon from out of no-"

"Thundaga!" Roxas cried as he thrust his Keyblades into the air. A bolt of lightning responded to his call and struck the Nevermore, shocking it and stalling its flight for a few moments. Upon recovery, it began searching for the source of its pain, its eyes flickering left and right in their sockets.

Roxas pointed his Keyblades directly at the Nevermore before crying "Over here! Firaga!" The blast of fire passed harmlessly in front of the creature's head, but it served its purpose; the Nevermore began flying towards the cliff.

"Why are you bringing it over here?" Weiss asked fearfully.

Ignoring her, Roxas backed up a few steps before running full tilt towards the cliff's edge. Upon reaching the edge, he leaped, soaring into the air. The Nevermore opened its beak and cried out; delivering a screech that forced the group on the cliff edge to cover their ears.

Roxas used this opportunity and dove into the Nevermore's mouth.

Ruby gasped. "Will he be okay?" she said.

She received two simultaneous responses. "Of course not!" "He'll be fine," Weiss and Ventus said respectively.

Weiss turned to Ventus. "What do you mean he'll be fine? Your friend – Twin? – Just dove into a Nevermore's mouth! He's as good as dead!"

"Look, just wait for it."

"Wait for it?"

"Stare at the Nevermore, because when Roxas does what he's going to do, it's gonna look really cool."

Unconvinced, the group nonetheless looked in the Nevermore's direction.

A moment later, the creature exploded in a burst of light. Roxas floated at the epicenter of the explosion, holding his Keyblades close to his body and roaring as beams of light rose from him and slammed into the area around him. A moment later his attack ended, and he glided over to the cliffs. Upon landing, he healed himself.

The Beacon group was, understandably, impressed. Variations of "What was that?" and "That was so cool!" were said, until Professor Goodwitch managed to silence the four girls with a glare.

"Young man," Ozpin began, "what was that technique? I've never seen anything like it."

"A Limit Break," Roxas said. "'It is the most powerful move at your disposal-one that only works when you are on your last legs.' That's what I was told when I was taught it."

"Is that why you asked your twin to hit you?"

"Firstly, yes. Secondly, Ventus is not my twin. At least, not in the conventional sense."

"What does that mean?"

"Honestly," Ventus interjected, smiling with his clasped hands behind his head, "neither of us knows for sure how we're connected, or why we look like each other. We just kinda accepted the fact that we share an identical physical appearance and moved on."

"That sounds… Complicated."

"It is," Roxas said. "You can tell us apart based on what we're wearing."

"WELL!" Ruby said, cutting into the conversation. "Now that that's done, can we _please_ go help-?" Before she could finish, she noticed large sigils in the sky, and pointed to draw attention to it. "What is that?" she shouted.

"Oh, yeah!" Ventus said. "Kairi did say she was gonna use Holy."

"Holy?" Weiss asked.

"Yep. The most powerful Light spell in existence. All the power of a 200 megaton bomb, but it only destroys creatures of Darkness. Just watch." The group went silent in an unspoken reverence for what they were about to see.

The sigils began to rearrange themselves, mixing in and out of each other until they reached a form in which they stayed. They remained still for several seconds before they began to glow. For a single moment, a beam of light erupted from their place in the sky.

Then, just as soon as the spell began, it ended, and for several seconds afterward the planet went still. Silence reigned throughout Remnant, such that it became the topic of several news reports, and Remnant's history would forever remember that day as the day the world went still.

After regaining her composure enough to speak, Ruby managed to spit some words out of her mouth. "Tha- that- That was Holy?" she said, stuttering a bit.

Ventus merely nodded, for his mental faculties had yet to recover enough for him to speak without embarrassing himself.

"That… That was…" Weiss began, but she could not find the words to finish.

Roxas, however, could. "Glorious, splendid, awesome, intense… Holy." The group nodded quietly in response.

* * *

"Aqua! Cover me!"

Aqua reciprocated the request, shooting blasts of fire at the Heartless to keep it distracted as Terra prepared his ultimate move.

"We'll help!" JNPR shouted. Pyrrha and Lie began shooting at it, while Jaune and Nora ran forward to attack it directly. After several moments of fighting, Jaune was knocked back by one of the creature's tangible afterimages. Nora, seeing her chance, slammed Magnhild into the creature's underside, knocking it into the air.

"Blade Charge!" Terra roared. A bright blue aura covered his Keyblade, taking the form of a large sword. A moment later, he calmly held his Keyblade with both his hands and assumed a stance in which his right leg was in front and he held his weapon by his left leg. Then, instantaneously, he rushed forward and cut through the creature, appearing above it in the air. A large diagonal cut appeared on the creature's body, and it disappeared moments later.

Landing softly as he dispelled his Command Style, Terra was met with cheers from JNPR and Aqua.

"How did you make your sword longer?" Jaune asked.

"I'll explain later. You guys have to get to safety and-"

Before Terra could finish, Holy was used.

Several moments passed before anyone regained their senses, and when they did, they all remained stunned nonetheless.

Finally, Nora spoke, though she abandoned her usual attitude. "What was that?" she asked cautiously.

"One of the ultimate forms of magic," Aqua replied. Turning to Terra, she said "I guess that means that they're done with the fight in the clearing."

Terra nodded, and then turned to JNPR. "Well then, you should all get going. We've gotta get back to our friends."

JNPR nodded and started running towards the cliffs. As they did, Jaune turned back and called out, "Thanks for the help!"

Terra and Aqua waved at them before turning and heading back towards the clearing. As they turned, Aqua noted fireworks being set off on top of the cliffs.

* * *

Ozpin turned to Roxas and Ventus before speaking. "Do you need to return to your allies?"

Roxas pondered the question for a moment before answering. "Are you in any way an important person to this world?"

Ozpin was taken aback by his response, and it was several moments before he responded. "Well, I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, one of the region's most influential Hunter and Huntress academies-"

"And that means that if we hadn't met now, we'd probably have met later on anyways."

Roxas thought for a moment about what to do, but Ventus came up with an idea first. "I've got it!" he said excitedly, producing his Keyblade. He thrust it in the air, and fireworks shot out of it, bursting in the air and producing a vast array of colors and shapes.

"What is that supposed to accomplish?" Goodwitch asked skeptically.

"That's the school there, right?" Ventus asked, pointing to a large castle-like building in the distance.

"Yes."

"Terra and Aqua will see the fireworks. They'll decide to go back to the clearing to make sure Sora and everyone else knows where to go. And once they come here, they'll get lost, and Sora will probably point at the school and say something like, 'Let's just go to the castle'. And when they get there, we'll be there."

Roxas opened his mouth to object, but shut it, conceding that "Yeah, that's probably what would happen."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow in curiosity as to who exactly this 'Sora' was, and what he was really like in person.

* * *

Kairi heaved, gasping for breath as she recovered from casting the spell. The rest of the group relaxed, resting from the battle.

Terra and Aqua joined the group moments later, and were greeted warmly. After they finished their rest, the group stood to decide what to do.

"Well, I saw Ven's fireworks spell up the cliff face a while back," Aqua said. "That's probably where he and Roxas are."

"Alright then!" Sora said cheerfully. "We're heading to Ven's fireworks!"

The group set out, moving casually and without any sense of urgency. They passed through the forest and ruins, exterminating any Heartless that crossed their path.

After figuring out how to get up the cliff face, they arrived at the spot where Ventus had cast his fireworks spell. However, they noted with confusion that neither Ventus nor Roxas were anywhere to be seen.

"Where'd they go?" Kairi asked.

Sora shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe they saw something and decided to head towards it."

"Like what?" Lea asked.

"Like…" Sora paused as he took in his surroundings, and noticed a large building in the distance. Pointing at it, he said "Like that. That castle… thing. It's the only place I can think of."

"Well, alright then." Riku said. "Let's go find Roxas and Ven."

On they went, heading towards the structure of the distance, unaware of the trouble in their future.

End of Chapter One.

* * *

**A/N: Holy shit. Twelve fucking pages worth of Microsoft Word document. Jesus fucking Christ, this was a long chapter. Maybe expect more of this length, maybe don't. It depends on my mood and how inspired I am.**


	3. While you're waiting

/Rant: Dear "Guest"

Okay, so, as I work on the next chapter of Remnant Hearts, I figure I should share something that happened recently. Apparently, some "Guest" (aka an Anon) decided to "Review" one of my older works (as in, circa. 2012), and decided to shit on it. This is mostly for my own peace of mind.

As for the next chapter: Don't worry, it's coming soon. I'm trying to bring it up to my Editor's expectations, and since there's no school today (1/6/2015) I'll work on it now.

**The Review (copy-pasted from the Review page):**

"No trollers or flamers." Huh? Whats the matter? You don't like recieving what YOU'VE been doing to other fanfiction stories? And don't worry, my review will be constructive.

First if all, the dialogue, stupid and seems to be rushed, I'm not impressed. "NOOOOOOOO! YOU GUYS! WHY" Uh...doesnt seem like something Sora would say, especially while watching his friends get blown to bits.

Secondly, "the economy sucks"? What economy are you talking about, in Kingdom Hearts, there are multiple worlds and I'm sure their "economy" doesn't suck.

Next, what the hell? You killed Donald and Goofy in the first chapter? Ok if you didn't want them in the story, why didn't you just leave them out in the first place? Which reminds me, escape pods? Wow...just...wow. And don't you think that it's incredibly unlikely that 2/3 of the escape pods jettisoned? Seems your stories aren't as good as you believe them to be huh? And also, "I think some Heartless or Nobody or something shot something at us!"...do I really need to say anything? The Gummi Ship should be able to stay intact after a single attack.

Next, Ice King's dialogue is garbage, its a tad similar to what he WOULD say, I'll give you that, but he wouldn't say "You mad, bro?"

When Sora uses the last of his magic, the last of his magic, he doesn't limp, I'd expect a headache, not limping.

Something else that bothered me besides the rest of this trash, "He pushed the thought aside as a girl with pale gray skin floated in, along with a pink girl and a girl made of fire." Where the hell did PB and Marceline come from? And then later Marceline said "So, should we bring him to PB? Maybe she'll know what to do." PB was just there right? Or did you forget what you wrote? And also, why does PB have to know all the answers to everything?

And lastly, really? You're just going to bring Roxas into this? He isn't living in Sora's heart or whatever, he is a part of Sora, he is Sora.

I felt sick to my stomache after reading this, and if I seem harsh, try reading all your old reviews for other stories and ask yourself if what you said is worse than what I said. I hope I applied enough "logic" to your story. Next time you have the DESIRE to talk trash on someone else's fanfiction, just remember, it's only because your stories are worse and you just gotta take them down to your level. You're not better than them, if this is how you act in the real world, you're not better than anyone.

**My Response:**

Dear Guest,

Why so bitchy? Art thou butt hurt? Are thine jimmies rustled? I assume you're coming here from The Light of Remnant, by ImSoAwesome or perhaps one of the other stories on the RWBY x KH page. Or perhaps you're one of the authors themselves, going Anon to disguise yourself. If so, I will assert here and now that every criticism I've made was absolutely valid.

Also, nice job criticizing a story I wrote 3 years ago. Yeah, I know it's bad. Shit, everything I wrote in 2012 was bad. I know that the date of publication for stories isn't exactly easy to see, but it's there. If you had taken the time to read one of my more recent stories, such as Remnant Hearts or what little there is of Meaning of Birth, you'd see that my literary quality has improved greatly.

You claim that your review will be "constructive", but all you did was point out flaws in this old ass story, without offering any solutions, improvements, or advice. If you actually read my reviews of The Light of Remnant, you'd see that I did offer improvements and solutions. I was also at least marginally supportive, saying things like "it's going well" and "keep it up", etc. etc.

You said that "it's only because your stories are worse and you just gotta take them down to your level". Whether or not that's true is a rather subjective topic; you can't arbitrarily define whether or not a story is bad or not. I mean, some people thought that Twilight was good.

To recap: your arguments and criticisms are invalidated by the fact that this story was written 3 years ago, as well as by your apparent inability to spell "receiving" and "stomach"; or at the very least, your inability to correct yourself.

Ciao,

Kuroyami Fuakaikuro

PS.

*What's *receiving *doesn't *it's *stomach


	4. Chapter 3

Remnant Hearts

By: Kuroyami Fukaikuro

**AHAHAHAHA I'M NOT DEAD, JUST LAZY  
Also, ten fucking pages of GoogleDoc, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Two: Diplomacy

After finding their way to Beacon, Sora and company were met by Roxas at the school gates; he had been stuck with greeting duty.

"About time you all got here," Roxas said as they approached him.

Sora turned to the group behind him. "I told you guys the castle was the way to go!" he said.

Lea sighed. "Yeah, yeah, Sora, you were right. No need to rub it in."

Sora smiled triumphantly and turned to fist-bump his Nobody. "By the way, Roxas," he asked, "what made you and Ven decide to come to this place?"

Roxas turned and motioned for the group to follow. As they walked through the school grounds, Roxas began to tell them what had happened. "So you remember how I left to fight the bird-thing; which is apparently called a 'Nevermore' on this world?"

"Yeah," Lea said. "How'd that go?"

"To sum things up, I jumped into its stomach and blew it up from the inside with my Limit Break."

"Cool."

"So anyways, at the top of that cliff face, that girl in red, who is named Ruby Rose, and her color-coded friends were talking to a guy who turned out to be the Headmaster of this place, an Academy. His name is Ozpin. I'm not sure if it's his first name or surname, since it's the only name he goes by."

At this news, Sora got serious. "How well known is this academy?"

"It's got students from all around this world."

"Does Ozpin get involved with this world's politics? And if he does, how involved does he get?"

Roxas shook his head. "I'm not sure. However, its students graduate to become 'Hunters' and 'Huntresses', who serve as this world's protectors. I don't know what exactly they teach here, either, besides how to fight this world's natural monsters, which are called Grimm."

"Did you find anything else out?" Riku asked.

"While the students attend the academy, they're put in teams of four. Ruby and her friends, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, became one team- called Are-Double-U-Bee-Why, pronounced ruby; and the blonde guy, Jaune Arc, became leader of another team along with Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Ren Lie- Jay-Enn-Pee-Arr, pronounced juniper.

"Apparently, they were the only groups to officially pass the test; it was canceled after the influx of Heartless. I'm not sure what criteria led to the other teams' creations; I wasn't told anything."

"That's enough serious talk!" Lea interjected. "We're about to establish official relations with this world. If this Ozpin guy's important, we can't have him perceive us as a threat."

"Lea, the eight of us fought off- no, _exterminated_ an army of Grimm and Heartless." Riku said. "And I'm sure he's heard plenty from that Ruby girl and her friends. There is absolutely no one who would just trust us."

Lea sighed dejectedly as Roxas chuckled at his expense. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

Ozpin sighed, rubbing his temples. Glynda placed some papers in front of him before returning to her own desk. Glancing down at the papers, he took a deep gulp of coffee before returning to his work.

A knock at the door alerted the teachers to visitors. "Come in," Ozpin said.

The door opened. Ventus led the group inside, as he had been waiting for them outside in order to not disturb the teachers. Sora and company entered, their eyes darting around the room in curiosity. Ozpin's work office, separate from his official office, was piled high with various papers, and maps and news clippings covered the walls.

"Welcome," Ozpin said, drawing the groups attention as Glynda raised her eyes from her work. "I assume Roxas and Ventus have introduced us."

"Right," Sora said. "Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch."

Ozpin nodded. "I assume you're Sora, but what about the rest of you?"

"I'm Riku."

"Kairi."

"Terra."

"Aqua."

"Lea. For such a technologically advanced society, based on what I've seen so far, you don't seem to use it much. Why is that?" he said, motioning towards the piles of paper around them.

"The papers you see are those that have yet to be processed. They're student transcripts and other documents. Glynda and I go over them one at a time and put their information into the computer by hand in order to ensure that what's on record is completely accurate." Ozpin said.

"You process all of this by hand?"

Ozpin nodded again. "I'd rather suffer through the work now than potentially have to deal with any sort of dire error later on."

"You must be very dedicated to what you do."

"Of course."

"Anyways," Sora interjected, "it's nice to meet you."

Ozpin turned back to Sora."Indeed."

"Now that the pleasantries are over and done with, let's get down to business," Riku said.

Ozpin clasped his hands in front of his mouth, leaning on his elbows. "Yes, let's. First of all, what are your intentions? I understand that you're not from Vale, to say the least. Where do you come from, and what do you plan to do here?"

"That's a bit of a long story," Sora said.

"What's the short version?"

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but Lea butted in, elbowing Sora. "Don't worry man, I've got this," he said.

Sora shrugged. "All right then, what's your version of things?"

Ozpin raised one of his eyebrows in anticipation as Lea took a breath.

"Well," he began, "we are all capable of wielding the Keyblade." For effect, he summoned the Dancing Flame. Ozpin imperceptibly narrowed his eyes at the sight of the weapon. "Those creatures in the forest, the ones that aren't native to this world; they're called the Heartless. They are creatures of Darkness. They can be defeated by conventional weapons, but only a Keyblade will fully destroy it.

"Or, at the very least, they have to be killed within… what units of measurement do you use on this world?"

Ozpin held up a ruler from his desk and said, "This is one foot."

"Alright then, 'feet'," Axel muttered for a moment, figuring out the distance. Once he had, he said "A Heartless technically doesn't have to be killed by a Keyblade. Just within a two hundred feet radius of one.

"But anyways, since the Heartless lack Hearts, they are driven by a mindless desire to steal the Hearts of other living beings. This includes the Heart of a world."

"The Heart of a world?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah. Your world isn't the only one that exists. There are a bunch of others, and they all have their own Hearts. If they didn't, they wouldn't be able to sustain life, and they'd fall into Darkness.

"The Heartless can steal the Heart of a world by flooding the world's Keyhole with Darkness. You seeing a theme yet? Keyhole, Keyblade?"

"So," Ozpin said, drawing a conclusion, "your duty as wielders of Keyblades are to travel around the worlds and prevent their destruction by using the power of the Keyblade on a world's Keyhole."

"Yep," Lea replied, nodding. "There was a bunch of other stuff with a guy named Xehanort using Darkness himself, and trying to conquer all the worlds with Darkness, but that's its own story; fully explaining that would take at least a few hours. Longer story short, we went to war with him, almost lost, but pulled through in the end."

"So what are you doing here?" Ozpin asked. "Or, more specifically, what are you all doing here? There are eight of you; shouldn't you all be travelling individually, in order to help as many worlds as possible, as quickly as possible?"

At this, Riku stepped in. "Travel between the worlds is difficult. There are several ways to go about it, but one of them is too risky, one of them requires a Keyblade art lost to history, and the last is basically a space-ship that has to carry all of us."

"Well, the Keyblade art he's speaking of isn't technically lost," Aqua interrupted. "Terra, Ven and I can do it. Basically, we transform our Keyblades into personal transportation vehicles. However, teaching it is nigh impossible, as it requires a series of lessons and procedures that none of us fully understand. To attempt it regardless would be dangerous, as a person's Keyblade is directly linked with their Heart, and to tamper with it without understanding it could result in one losing their Heart."

"I see," Ozpin said. "Why don't you three just use that technique to travel by yourselves then?"

"Well, the technique allows us to travel between worlds. But as of yet there's no way for us to reliably communicate from distant worlds, although we are working on improving that technology."

"I suppose that's an adequate explanation for why you travel in a group. But if your purpose is to use the Keyblade on the Keyhole, what's keeping you from doing it immediately?"

"This world is surrounded by Darkness," Terra explained. "It's not just the Grimm or the Heartless; Darkness is in a lot of the Hearts of this world's denizens, and that Darkness masks the location of the Keyhole from us. Believe us, we've narrowed the location down to Vale – that's what this kingdom is called, right?" he said, glancing at a map "- that's why we landed here. But the exact location escapes us."

"I find it rather suspicious that Remnant's first Heartless incident directly coincides with your arrival. Would you care to explain that?"

"Sure," Sora said. "Xehanort tried to use Darkness to control the worlds. But it was more than that; by controlling Darkness, he could control the Heartless. While he was alive, the Heartless were slightly more docile, as they did only what he made them do. But now that he's gone, they're free to rampage again."

"That's quite a lot of information to process."

"There's one more thing, actually," Roxas said. "The Heartless aren't the only creatures you should worry about. When a Heartless steals the Heart of someone with a strong will, the lingering will in the person's body will create a new entity: a Nobody. Nobodies are similar to Heartless in that they seek Hearts, but they do it for different reasons. Heartless seek hearts out of instinct; Nobodies seek Hearts out of a desire to become a whole person again."

"What are stronger, the Heartless or the Nobodies?"

"Nobodies. A Heartless moves and attacks purely based on instinct. Nobodies, however, have sentience, if not sapience."

"How do I differentiate between Heartless and Nobodies?"

"Nobodies are generally light colored - most of them are a pale white, with some gray fringes. A few of them have a light pinkish hue, and some have a bluish hue. Also, they look really… fluid."

"Fluid?" Ozpin asked, genuinely confused.

Roxas looked at Lea. Lea nodded in response, and snapped his fingers. A white circle appeared on the ground, and grey thorns heralded the presence of an Assassin Nobody.

Ozpin and Glynda stood up, their weapons raised. Ozpin glared at the group, fully prepared to fight them all to the death. They weren't entirely sure if the creature that had appeared was one of the aforementioned Nobodies, but they assumed that if Sora's group had control over them, they likely had negative intentions.

"HOLD IT, HOLD IT!" Terra shouted, catching both Ozpin and Glynda's attention. They turned to him, still staring daggers. "Calm down, okay? Roxas and Lea each have control over a type of Nobody."

Ozpin looked at Roxas, who sighed before summoning a Samurai Nobody.

"Why can you control those types of Nobodies?" Ozpin asked.

"Because we were Nobodies once," Roxas replied cooly.

Ozpin's gaze relaxed, though his voice was still tense as he asked "And now?"

Roxas scoffed. "Don't worry, we're human now. It's not like we can each control every kind of Nobody. I can control these Samurai and Axel can control Assassins because we were their masters while we were Nobodies. And even now, they know who their masters are."

"Shall I assume that you will not use this power to antagonize the people of Vale?"

"You can assume whatever you want. I don't intend to misuse my powers. I never have, and I never will. But what I intend, and what becomes necessary for victory, are not always the same thing."

Ozpin continued to observe the young man carefully for several seconds before setting his cane down, opting to trust him. After a moment's hesitation, Glynda did the same, setting her crop down on the desk within reach.

Ozpin took another moment to calm himself before continuing the conversation. "And the Heartless?"

"Heartless come in two types; 'Purebloods' and 'Emblems'. Purebloods are a solid inky-black, and have the same 'fluid' look as Nobodies. Emblem Heartless are easily identified by a red symbol. Do you have a spare sheet of paper?" Upon being provided with one, Roxas drew a red heart with thorny crosses through it and a flowery flourish at the tip.

Ozpin paused and nodded, allowing all of the information to sink in. After collecting his thoughts, he decided to move to another topic, saying "So, I assume you will be on this world for a while."

Sora nodded, his hands clasped behind his head. "You seem to be taking this pretty well. Most people aren't so open to the idea of other worlds."

Ozpin spread his hands. "Well, you've provided quite a lot of evidence to support the fact that Remnant is not alone in the universe, your very existence and your abilities being the strongest argument. But as I was saying: You will be spending quite some time on this world. You've introduced yourself to me, and I'm sure you're aware of the potential ramifications of doing so. So what's your next move? Will you continue to associate with Beacon- serve as allies, if you will? Or," and at this Ozpin's tone became cold, "are your intentions in this meeting to, perhaps, warn us to stay out of your way?"

At Ozpin's words, the group all looked at Sora. Feeling their stares on his back, Sora collected his thoughts before replying evenly. "We, as wielders of the Keyblade, will be a neutral, independent force from Beacon and Remnant. We'll take no active part in any of your conflicts. Not to say that we'll just stand idly by if some serious incident occurs- if we are in the area, we will intervene and aid this world's authorities. But we're not going to go out of our way to search for criminals or fight in armed conflicts between the people of this world.

"We just got through with a war, Headmaster Ozpin. We don't want to rush into another one."

Ozpin nodded satisfactorily at Sora's response. "A wise plan. Well then, what will you do for food and lodging?"

"We can manage on our own."

"Well, if you need lodging, there's an old dorm we don't use anymore on the western end of Beacon's campus. We haven't cleaned it since we shut it down, but it's completely satisfactory in terms of utilities -that reminds me, Glynda please reconnect the dorm to the utilities- and building can also provide you food from the cafeteria."

Sora glanced back at the group. Everyone nodded before Sora turned and said "I think we'll accept your offer."

"Very well. Just give me a moment to get the key." He began to stand up, but was cut off by Sora.

Sora shook his head. "No worries. The Keyblade can handle that sort of thing too."

"Is that so?" Ozpin's left eyebrow rose above its partner in interest. "In that case,

They nodded in agreement and left.

After they had left, Ozpin turned and met Glynda's eyes.

"Did you get all of that?" Ozpin said.

"Yes," his lifelong friend replied, "but I honestly don't know what you'll be able to do with what amounts to a fantasy story. I mean honestly, a man with the power of darkness itself?"

"Their story may seem unbelievable, Glynda, but their strength is real. You saw the videos of what they did. You experienced… Holy. With power like that, they have no reason to lie. They could single-handedly conquer or ruin Vale, or perhaps all of Remnant if they so wished."

"So what will you do about it?"

"Well, obviously, I'm going to compile whatever information we have on them based on what we've experienced and what we can get from those recordings. With that, I should be able to make some contingency plans. I'll also send the information to Qrow."

"What do you expect Qrow to do?"

"Honestly, Glynda? I don't know. But he has access to connections and information that I don't. He might be able to figure something out."

"What about Ironwood?"

"Ironwood won't believe me, not now. You know he doesn't trust me, or anything I send him. He'll have to see them in person first."

Glynda sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Hmm…"

"What?"

"Something worries me. What Sora said, before they left. That they won't need keys to get into the dorm - likely because the Keyblade can unlock it. If it can do that, who can tell what the Keyblade can't unlock?"

"You think our security measures are inadequate?"

"I think… that it's a possibility. As I said, their story is questionable, but their power is real. We'll have to continue our observation of them and make plans accordingly."

"Very well sir, but in the meantime, we should finish this paperwork."

"Oh, right…"

"Were you hoping that I'd do most of the work while you talked to them?"  
Ozpin coughed, taking a swig of coffee before reaching for another stack of paper. "Of course not."

Tired but driven, the pair continued their work.

* * *

Sora and crew arrived at the dorm as the Gummi Ship descended from the clouds to land next to the dorm before shimmering and assuming the appearance of a Bullhead.

The hatch opened, and Donald and Goofy came out. "Hey Sora!" Goofy called out.

"Hey guys!" Sora called back.

"It's good to see that the Camo-Gummi Cid installed still works," Riku observed.

"So what happened?" Donald asked.

Lea began to explain to them what had occurred inside Ozpin's office, coincidentally avoiding the manual and magical labor that everyone else set out to do. Meanwhile, Sora and the rest began moving luggage from the Gummi Ship to the dorm.

"Riku," Roxas called from one of the back ends of a dorm hallway. As he approached, Roxas nodded to a ceiling corner. "You see what I see?"

"A camera," Riku noted.

"Yeah. There are more in the rooms. I'm almost certain that's part of why this dorm was shut down - maybe even the main reason. They seem to be off, but I don't know for sure."

"In the rooms too? Ozpin seems exceedingly paranoid."

"My thoughts exactly," Roxas said, nodding his head. "Especially since these aren't new. Judging by the layers of dust on some of them, they've been here since this dorm was in use."

"Hmm." Riku paused to think, absently scratching his hair. "They're off now, but that doesn't mean they'll stay off."

"Yeah, if they can reconnect the dorm to the utilities from that office, who's to say that they can't activate the cameras from there too?"

"You think they will?"

"It's likely. We really haven't given them much reason to trust us all that much. Even when you consider how much we've told them, there's still so much that remains unclear."

"That's true. What should we do about this? Should we let the others know?"

Roxas glanced at him, narrowing his eyes as a touch of disgust colored his expression. "Of course. We can't just keep them in the dark, especially about something this serious. Besides, just because no one else has noticed now, it doesn't mean they won't notice later. It's better they know know, so they can be aware of it and plan their own actions accordingly. Heck, Aqua or Donald might have some kind of spell that can disrupt electronics like these."

"If they don't?"

"Then we'll just have to be careful if the cameras ever turn on. If they do turn on, then of course we'll confront Ozpin."

"Confront him? And do what?"  
Roxas paused at this, shutting his mouth in contemplation. What would they do indeed? He'd been so tired of people trying to watch him and control him, but now, with the possibility of turning such a situation around, he had no idea what he would do or say.

"I don't know," he finally responded. "But it would be better than just letting it slide and allowing him to just watch us."

Riku nodded slowly. "Agreed. But they're off right now - we should get back to work and tell everyone about this while we do."

"All right. I'll handle this back area - you go tell everyone."

"Okay. Call us if you notice anything significant."

"Right." As Riku walked off, Roxas opened the windows of the hallway before casting Aero, moving the winds around to gather the dust in the area and toss it outside.

* * *

"What shall we do, my Lord?" A young woman wearing an simple maid outfit asked, kneeling on a rooftop before her master. The outfit's dress fell to her shins, with the sleeves extending to her wrists. The outfit was completely utilitarian, with no excess frills or any other hint of aesthetic design. It was colored a solid black, with the occasional white trim on various edges. Leather was sewn onto it like a gambeson, providing some defense. Pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves completed the outfit, attached to their respectable body parts with leather straps. Hanging from each side of her hips in sheaths were a pair of bladed Jitte, with a main blade length of one-and-a-half-feet and a secondary blade length of six inches.

The woman herself was tall, exactly 6'8". Her hair was black, though the occasional gray strand shone bright in the moonlight, testaments to her struggles. Her eyes were a light brown, much like her skin, a reflection of her birth country. She was by no definition fat, though her toned musculature caused her outfit to stretch in a way that implied she was, and her shoulders were slightly wide for a woman.

Her master regarded her for a moment as he thought about that very topic. The Keyblade warrior had made contact with some of the people of Remnant, and though the exact number was small, the significance and importance of the people he had met was plainly obvious. So how to proceed? Kingdom Hearts had told him to watch the young man, and to make sure he did his job properly. But what exactly did that entail? He understood Sora's job well enough: go to worlds and seal their Keyholes. But his own mission was far less clear.

Finally, he made a decision. He would not simply watch from afar, remaining inactive as Sora and his entourage made their rounds through the worlds. He had things to do, goals to achieve, and he would not sit idly by as the Keyblade warrior sluggishly moved from planet to planet, taking the time to solve each tiny, insignificant problem as it came up.

No, he would be an opposing force to the young man, someone that would drive him to action, someone who would make his job contain a sense of urgency.

He looked down at the young woman. "We are meant to watch over the Keyblade warrior, but inactivity will help no one. The others should come back soon with information; we will make plans then."

One by one, his allies returned to the rooftop, some kneeling, others standing idly. As they recounted what they had learned, the man noticed one recurring piece of information.

"Roman Torchwick," he muttered, "a well known and wanted criminal. But apparently, skilled enough to evade capture despite his infamy." He looked down at the woman and issued his command: "Find Roman Torchwick, and then lead me to him. We shall be the force that opposes the Keyblade warriors, a force that will drive them to move quickly to fulfill their duty."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just reveal ourselves to them and help them in their duties?" Another young woman asked, this one wearing a simple combination of a T-shirt and military-grade fatigue pants, with greaves lining the inside of the pants and pauldrons and gauntlets in place. A pair of custom made .45 ACP caliber pistols hung from holster under her arms, and a .50 caliber revolver, also custom made, hung from a holster at her hip. A Heckler and Koch 416 series assault rifle hung diagonally across her torso, held aloft by a shoulder strap and cradled in her hands.

Her hair was cut short, in a symmetrical bob-style cut. It was a solid black, and her eyes were a dark brown, to the point that most initially thought they were black as well. She was shorter than the other, being 6'4" despite being several years older than the other woman. She was incredibly slim and toned, with her muscles defining the shape of her clothes.

"No," he replied easily. "Befriending him might provide some immediate boost in his capacity to operate, but it would be short lived. In time, he'd grow complacent -perhaps it would be appropriate to say 'even more so than he already is', given how he handled the Heartless and Grimm earlier today- and the boost to their operating speed would slow. As antagonists, we'd serve as a true motivation for him to take his work as seriously as possible, and to handle it as quickly as possible as well.

"Now go, and find me Roman Torchwick!"

The woman in the maid outfit nodded and left, leaping from the rooftop for another as she began her search. The other sat down and sighed, seeking relaxation after all the work she had been put through. The other members of the group chatted idly amongst themselves, trusting in their leader.

"You're sure this is the best option?" the young woman in the T-shirt asked once more, internally hoping that she wouldn't have to work as much under his chosen plan.

"Honestly? No, not really. But it's the most efficient for achieving our goals."

She nodded once before pulling out a flask and taking a swig. "I guess that's the best I can hope for, in this universe," she muttered quietly to herself before taking another drink.

End of Chapter.

* * *

**All right! That's that for now! Reine de la Mort, thank you for your work editing this chapter, and I'm sorry it took so goddamn long for me to actually work on it. In order to not waste any more of your time, I won't ask you to continue acting as an editor, though I will continue to write the story in the Google Doc folder I shared with you, so if you ever feel like leaving a criticism, feel free.**

**Later!  
-KF**


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